A Fate Rewriten
by Oplease
Summary: Fenoglio is too much in love with his master piece, Inkheart, that he will do almost anything to keep all of the people within safe, even Capricorn. What will happen when Mo finishes what Meggie has set out to read? Can Fenoglio's little changes make a difference? Can something so little be enough to rewrite fate?


**One**

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Life is like a lake, in witch the water of this lake ripples only when stones are thrown in by the little children on the lakeside, the stones are our actions in life, and just like the lake and it's tiny children, it ripples only when we make choices, affecting the people around us as well as ourselves, whether we wish it or not, it ripples for the big choices and the small.

And just like this lake, a stone was thrown, and choices were made and a young girl's life was changed forever, never to go back the way it was. It wasn't even Meggie's actions that had plunged her into the chaos, it was her father's and partially, if not all of if belonged to a man known as Dustfinger.

If only Dustfinger hadn't appeared that one fatal night and if only her father's heart wasn't so gentle, if only Mo's heart was as cold as stone he wouldn't had invite Dustfinger to stay the night, then he wouldn't have forced them move so suddenly to her great-aunt's mansion like house, even with the meeting of the fire-eater, life would and could have gone back to the same old routine, but didn't, and Dustfinger had followed, and in his own way, was kind to Mo and herself. But Dustfinger was the foe the playing the friend; Meggie did understand his feeling of wishing to see his wife, Roxane again, she had longed to see her mother often enough, but that didn't give him the right to betray her father's trust and hand him to a mad man, not when they didn't do any thing wrong. But what good were the ouldof's, thinking about things that could and should have been, did no help for Meggie, it never did.

"Are you finished, yet?" Meggie asked as she turned her body from the cellar's bars so that her eyes could lie upon the side of Fenoglio's head.

"Almost, I just need a little more time." he murmured in reply.

"OK," Meggie whispered as she nodded her head. _I hope we have more time._

The crypt in which Capricorn had placed Fenoglio and Meggie, for the time being, was small, damp, dark and reeked of mold. It only had one cot to sleep on and Fenoglio had taken residents on it, Meggie turned back to looking at sleeping form of Flatnose, she was going to enjoy the look on his face when Basta caught him napping again. The first time Flatnose woken up was around lunch, when Basta walked into the prison with a ginger haired maid holding a loaf bread and butter with a jar of milk on a small wooden platter, when Flatnose was caught sleeping, Meggie almost felt sorry for villain, when Basta began to beat him and threaten Flatnose with his shinny, new dagger. That was until he started to yell at Fenoglio and herself, rattling their cage and giving empty threats.

It was the creaking of boards that warned Meggie of the approaching visitor, all the same, Meggie's heart still seemed to skip a beat, when suddenly the large iron door crashed open, causing Fenoglio to spill of his ink and look up from his writing hastily and Flatnose to jump in his chair with a start.

Mortola stepped in accompanied by two of her maids, the hags eyes narrowed when she saw Flatnose rubbing the sleep out of his.

"Takn' ah snooze ar' we, Flatnose?" The Magpie asked sweetly.

"Ah, no, no, ma'am, I'm not snoozing, just startled that's all." Flatnose deep voice came out slightly slower and sluggish then it was normally.

"Goo', we woul'n' want Basta ta give yah ah nice sweet kiss with his lill' kniffy, now woul' we." The smile that followed these words lacked all the warmth that any good smile aught to have.

"No, ma'am!" as quick as lightning, Flatnose was up and opening the door for the Magpie, as he said this.

When the Magpie entered the crypt, her nose wrinkled and as she lifted hem of her grey dress as if she was the queen of Sheba, too royal for the ground below, not that Meggie blamed her for not wanting the step on stagnate water and rat urine.

"Ah, goo' mornin', lill' slivertough, Ah brought yah a nice gif' from yahr truly."

"You don't have my father? Do you?"

"Nah, nah Ah don't mean yah pa, I mean Capricorn."

"Your son."

If looks could kill, then Fenoglio was dyeing a slow death, full of agony.

Slowly Mortola glided towards Fenoglio, not even bothered by the way her dress was dragging on the slimy floor, that just a second ago was repulsed by, her every movement was like that of a vulture closing in upon it's pray, dead or dyeing.

"Watch wha' yah say, ol' Faggot," her voice came out in a cheery manor but with each passing moment that cheery voice of hers turned darker and darker "Ah don't think ma ol' ear is workin' taa good taday, Ah thought yah say tha' Capricorn is ma son, which, heh, is ah lie, as we all know, Capricorn is The Son of Our God, an' Capricorn being The Son of, Velttaa, The God of deceit. He might enjoy yahr lill' lies but Ah don't an' if Ah so much a hear a whisper, perhaps one night yah wake up ta find ah nice thin smile across that thin charming nick of yours." With that she, swept away from the anxious old turtle, who was now clutching his throat, to face Meggie,

"Now tha' reaso' Ah hav' been sen'," spinning once more, the Magpie confronted the one of two maids, who were standing very still by the opening of the prison door. "Marsala, give the lill' witch, Capricorn's gif'!"

With a small jump the maid that look much like a mouse, quickly replied "Yes, Ma'am, right away Ma'am."

The maid, Marsala, gave a quick curtsy in front of the Magpie as best she could, for the gift was so large that it nearly covered the maids eyes. Marsala then stumble forward before placing the brown parcel down on one of the tombs, then just as quickly scramble back.

"Go on, lill', open tha' gif', le's see wha' ya got." The Magpie's voice took on a sweet tone, as she smiled encouragingly to Meggie. Slowly she walked forward.

"What is it?" Meggie asked, as her hands gliding across the present.

"Ah don' knou', Capricorn hus mare pressin' mattars then telling a ol' hag like me wha's in an lill' ol' box! Open it, Open it! Ah's don' got all day, gal!"

Slowly, Meggie untied the ribbon, it was smooth and silky, and it was the color of Capricorn's heart, ink black. She held on the ribbon for a few moments, twisting it around her fingers, anyone could see that she was nervous, _What __**is **__inside the box, hopefully nothing too bad._

Meggie began to tear the brown paper away, and underneath it was a square trunk, but when she tried to open the trunk, she found it locked.

"It's stuck." Meggie said flatly.

"Ah's a know, an' so did Capricorn, des' why he giv' me tha key," the Magpie replied, as she reached behind her neck to untie a leather string, "Now, hold ou' yahr han'"

Meggie did as she was told, letting her arm stretch before her as the necklace plopped onto her open palm, with her free hand Meggie began to observe the small little key. At one time, no doubt, it had been as shiny as a new penny, but that was not the case any more, it was rusty and bent were the delicate little swirls were.

Facing the box again, Meggie let the skeleton key slid into the small opening and began to turn it, with a soft CLICK, the lid partly opened. Placing her hands on both sides of the chest, Meggie finished opening Capricorn's present, only to find what lay in wait and what cased her stomach to twist into a knot,

"It's a dress,"

And so it was, a dress with a top of lace in the pattern of flowers with a reviling gap in the back, and from the waist down was silk that reached an inch or so past her knees, the color of the entire elegant gown, was a soft pale pink. It also had the lingering aroma of roses.

Meggie could smell the unpleasant odor of her breath, before she heard the Magpie's words.

"Ah lied, yah see, Capricorn di' tell me wha' was in tha' ther' boxes and wh' it wa' for…"

"Oh, is that so." she was not surprised.

"Aye, He did…" Mortola paused waiting for Meggie to reply.

"And?" Meggie asked after a long pause.

"And Capricorn wishes to see you, so the process can begin."

"What 'process'?"

"'What process'" Mortola mocked in a baby's tone, "Why, tha process of bringin' the Shadow from ou' of Inkheart, of course', is gonna get vary busy around here, yah see, tha hunt for yahr father is more fired u' tha' ever, Capricorn wouldn' wan' him ta miss it, him an' Dustfinger, an' no' jus' tha hun' tha' gon' crazy, every livin' soul got ah job to do, includin' Capricorn. Ooo I m gonna hav' loads of work tha' got ta be done, lill', food ta bake, places ta clean, and most important of all," Mortola's hand shout out to latched onto Meggie face, her fingers digging into her cheeks, "a dress ta sow for yah and yahr pretty lill' face..."

A small little pat on Meggie's head and the Magpie, called out in a harsh tone,

"Marsala! Don' yahr farge' that there dress, Ah don' wha' it getin' dity!"

She swept out of the cellar, leaving two men to look upon the twelve year old with pity.

Meggie felt a flush of anger and surprise when she saw the look on Flatnose face.

_What do you care! Stop! Stop looking at me like you care, you don't, you don't care! I hate you, _

"I HATE YOU ALL!" Meggie yelled out, just as her knees hit the hard, cold floor of her prison.

She pounded on the wet stone with all her might wishing that it could turn into Capricorn or Basta or any one who was at fault. She pounded untie her fist began to bleed, and she yell untie her voice grow hoarse, untie Fenoglio was holding on to her and whispering any kind of comfort he could offer into her ear.

Meggie held onto Fenoglio, her body quivering from her sobs and from her, now, wet cold cloths. All too soon, Meggie found herself drained. She was tired, oh so tired… so, so very… tired.

Life is like a lake, and stones are our actions, Fenoglio had just thrown his stone, even if he is unaware of it, for even now, with the sleeping girl on his shoulder, Fenoglio could never truly kill his precious Capricorn, even if he was the man that was the cause of the girl's pain.


End file.
